SantaThing: Secret Santas for LibraryThing!
UPDATE: We just (9pm) hit 100 Secret Santas, and a lot of interesting comments on them. Some users are confused about the money. The situation is this. When you sign up, you pay $25. When you get someone you pick out up to $20 worth of books, and tell us what they are—by ISBN presumably. We buy the gifts and pay the shipping. I suspect we'll make or lose about $1 per Santa. This is hardly about the money.It had to happen and here it is: SantaThing!
SantaThing is Secret Santa for LibraryThing members.
The idea is simple. Pay $25. You play Santa to a random LibraryThing member, and find them up $20 worth of books, based on their library or a short description. Someone else does the same to you. LibraryThing orders the books and pays the shipping, so no addresses are exchanged and no members are stalked!
Now, this isn't just for you. You can also go in for someone you know—a relative or a friend. Describe their library a bit and someone will find them the perfect present. And you can become a Santa as many times as you like. So, for example, I entered myself and my wife. Heck, I might outsource all my Christmas buying to the LibraryThing community! :)
Lastly, even if you don't want to be a Santa, you can help by suggesting books for others.
Crucial dates. This is going to end very soon.
- Thursday, 12 Noon Eastern. Santa-signup ends. Secret Santas are picked.
- Friday, 10pm Eastern. Submit gifts to LibraryThing. LibraryThing buys everything. According to Amazon, if it's ordered before Tuesday it will make it by December 24.
Addendum: I haven't even blogged it yet, and one user has already signed up. The "tastes" section was filled out as follows:
"Please refrain from choosing anything involving wizards, elves, dragons, swords, etc... or anything Oprah demands be read."
Labels: new feature, santathing, secret santa
posted by Tim at 6:25 AM
23 Comments:
Great idea. Sorry to be a pain but just to say you have written France at the top and Britain at the end of the post. I have presumed you meant Britain as you quoted amazon.co.uk
Would love to take part but can't. You might want to mention the location restrictions in your post.
Oh Librarything how you tease me with offers I can't take part in, first early reviewers and now this *sob*
Yeah, sorry. I'm a coding zombie right now. France and Germany might be possible with Amzon, but the language issue might be a problem—for us ordering as much as anything. This is complex enough, unfortunately.
Deirdre. You're in Ireland? Does Amazon.co.uk ship effortlessly to Ireland? I'd open it up if I knew it did, but I can't be trying to get things from Kenny's.
Super idea. I won't join in this year, as I'm pushed enough for time to get presents for my family, but do please make it a regular feature.
mm... why can't the rest of us internationally join up things like this :( and yet amazon does ship internationally.
I feel left out always :(
Amazons of most any ilk ship ok to Ireland (in my experience)
Tim,
You might want to change the hyperlinks to your listing on the post (swap out '_signup' for '_thing')
Tim,
I'm in Ireland, I've had no problems with amazon to Ireland (excepting the credit card bills afterwards). I've been dealing with them long enough that I fondly remember the days of Amazon.com and the slow boat delivery that cost pennies.
Actually, and ironically, the only problems I've had with amazon.co.uk was with sending to my sister in Northern Ireland, two weeks later I successfully sent some to her son!
Tim - do these two items come into play with what you are doing?
1) If getting a single Amazon Prime account allows you to obtain free 2-day shipping, helping to guarantee the rapid delivery of the packages.
2) Amazon has that requirement where you must re-enter credit-card info for each new shipping address. Will you be facing that?
Can you remove yellow post-it thingie from the top of the national LT where the Secret Santa doesn't apply?
boo hoo on the lack of internationalism, Tim!
Of course amazon.co.uk ships effortlessly all over Europe...
It looks like there really are second-class citizens in LibraryThing... :-(
Sounds like a fun idea. I notice you don't have a field for Amazon (or other) wishlists. Probably a good idea. Makes the present more of a surprise! :)
A quick glance at delivery times vs. prices at amazon.co.uk shows why internationalism won't work this time.
To get the cheaper rate (at 5 GBP( over $10) based on one book) the order would need to be sent by Wednesday 12th to arrive by 24th December.
The more expensive rate, which would get there by Christmas if ordered by the 18th, would be 19 GBP for one book. Or about $40.
VAT has to be added for some countries (not Ireland, I know).
It may be effortless, but it's pretty expensive.
wow, what a good idea, sorry I just heard about it NOW! I'd love to purchase books for someone and have them send me as well, but I'm afraid my books wouldn't get there in time!
Just so cool! And I get to partake.
I wonder how many will sign up? A significant fraction of the site's 300000 users?
Cheers for Tim and Abby
I got really excited. And then I realized I live in Germany. DAMN.
aww! I don't get a paycheck until the 15th... :( Man! Maybe I can borrow a few bucks off someone....
I don't understand the price. We pay 20$ dollars on top of the 25$ (so 45 total) or do we buy 20 dollars worth of books out of the original 25 dollars?
Clarification please!
Sounds like a cute idea otherwise.
I don't understand -- I pay $25, *and* then buy $20 of books? What's the $25 for?
I'm pretty sure you pay $25, and choose books (I guess one or two) *up to $20* in value. The other $5 that you paid will go toward LT's payment of shipping expenses - plus any extra, if your book purchases don't quite reach $20.
Okay, so Secret Santas are *assigned* to us, right? We just wait and the name magically appears, is that correct?
I'm easily confused. (Very much)Paraphrasing Jane Austen, too many books have addled my brain, much like that old TV ad about one's brain on drugs.
That's right. We're going to pick them out of a hat. Since we're well north of 100 now, Abby and I are looking forward to an eggnog-fueled hat party.
This is a lovely idea!
Maybe in future years it can be opened up to other countries (eg NZ or Australia).
However congratulations for making this possible, even if not to all the international members.
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